fishballer06

Best of luck and prayers to your family.

Oh boy. I'll be placing an order here soon!

You honestly won't go wrong with either rod. My only gripe with my Expride casting rods is that they don't have a hook keeper. Maybe @punch can comment if the spinning rods have them for the Exprides.

I need to build something like this for my garage.

Keep 'em coming guys. The more, the merrier!

Color/size/action of the bait might not be what they want. Changing one of those could help. If not, like A-Jay said, come back at another time and see if they're more active.

Costa addict here. The first pair of Costa's I bought were the 580G lens in green mirror. These are a great lens with amazing clarity. Definitely nice to have on sunny days. I've since bought pairs to go with all of my needs. I've got a pair of 580G silver mirror (amber base) that are great all around for sunny or slightly overcast days. I've also got a pair of 580P sunset silver mirror (yellow base) that are amazing in low light conditions or on rainy days. I can wear these glasses clear up until dark and they allow me to see down in the water in low light levels, whenever I traditional lens would make it impossible to look into the water. Most days, I'll start the morning off wearing my yellow based lens before the sun gets high. Then I'll switch to one of my other pairs once the sun gets up.

@Harold Scoggins my TJ's fluid bed works great. I already ordered 3 extra cups to go with mine (only $5 each). I figure I'll keep one for white based paints, greens, browns, blacks, and then one for my glitters. Honestly, for the price I paid and what it would cost to build my own and the time to do it, you're better off just buying from TJ's. For $45 shipped, I got the pump, fluid bed, two cups, and 2oz of powder paint. You're going to have roughly $30 just in the pump, fittings, and hosing alone. Add in the PVC and finding a proper filter, plus your labor. What have you honestly saved?

I like anything in the 6'10" to 7'4" length, and then I'll base M, MH, or H powered depending on the weight or structure I am fishing around.

The aluminum sideplates on the Tatula Elite feel SOOOO nice. I'm very impressed with mine. The Bantam came out in 2018, so I doubt we'll see an updated version at least for another year or two. If they do update it, I think all they need to do is lengthen the reel a little bit to move the line guide a little further away from the spool. The Metanium MGL however hasn't been updated since 2016, so we might see a new Met next season (fingers crossed).

At this point, with the popularity of the DC reels and Bantam, that there's proof that people care more about a longer lasting, smoother reel, rather than having a featherweight, as long as the reel is still in that sub 8oz category.

It's not uncommon for manufacturers to put aluminum gears in their higher end reels these days in order to save weight. Even Diawa puts aluminum gears and pinions in their Steez models.

Scott Martin (and potentially other big FLW names) fishing the BASS Opens is going to draw more attention to the Open tournaments than they've ever received before.

There is no magic combination. I'm one who like a little heavier weight when it comes to football jigs to ensure I keep bottom contact, so I'd be using a 1/2 - 3/4oz jigs. In clearer water, I'm going to use a more natural green or brown color, and then darker colors for dirtier water. In cold water, I want a trailer with less action. Some guys like chunks or pork for this. Me personally, I like the Zoom Z Hog (and Jr) for this.

The Metanium MGL does have aluminum gears. The Bantam MGL is brass. You can upgrade the Metanium to the Curado K brass gears for around $30.

Obviously. You must have missed my favorite line about the whole video -

Nice slammer fish!

If you're not worried about casting distance, then the other aspects of the reel that make it better probably aren't going to be too pivotal in your mind.

More playing around with powder paint. I really like this root beer flake color for flipping jigs.

I miss the days when it was warm enough for these guys to come out.

Are you looking for what lures/conditions/etc are going to work best for you in your area? I may not be too familiar with fishing in Texas, but there is one thing that always remains true in bass fishing. It doesn't matter the bait, it doesn't matter the conditions, it all comes down to location, location, location. If you can't locate the fish, then nothing else matters.

I agree. I've dissected a few old baits of mine for my own baits as well. Some of the manufactured baits have unique blades that you can't buy.

Most folks don't realize what it costs to build a spinnerbait. I can't put a ball bearing swivel and a skirt on a spinnerbait for less than $1, yet there's somehow companies out there retailing spinnerbaits for $1 or $2. Trust me, buying a premium built spinnerbait is a totally different bait than the cheap one's off the shelf.

For everyone's reading enjoyment.

If you think that the BASS Elite field is weak because a few guys left, you're dead wrong. These guys are still catching big bags and they're doing it every day at every tournament. And even with a "weakened" FLW field in 2019, Scott only had two top 10 finishes. Just because there's guys out there who aren't household names yet doesn't mean that they aren't good sticks.